Nail Harmony Gelish Soak-Off Gel Polish

08.22.10 | 67 Comments

I have written about my nail spot, Gloss Nail Spa in Silver Lake before. I love it there because they’re clean, play great music, and you can take a free book! Earlier this week I was in to test Perfect Formula Perfect Color Polish in Deco, and I noticed an add for Nail Harmony‘s Gelish Soak-Off Gel Polish, which is a soak-off gel nail lacquer, like OPI’s Axxium. Of course, I was intrigued! And when my annoyingly peely nails chipped in just a few days, I went back to Gloss to ask them about Harmony’s Gelish. The woman I spoke to said Harmony’s gels were amazing and kicking Axxium’s butt! (Paraphrasing.) Gloss carries Axxium too, but are really promoting Harmony’s Gelish. She said it is thinner and stronger, longer lasting, chips less, and is easier to remove, with less damage to your nails. I was sold.

The whole process takes longer than a traditional manicure, but when you are done you are done. Your nails are 100% dry with no chance of smudging! It’s a true miracle for someone like me, who consistently screws up her nails before exiting the parking lot. The girl who did my nails was extremely careful when applying the lacquer and explained that if any of it gets on the cuticle, it will cause the mani to chip or peel. She did a perfect job, and my nails look amazing. My only complaint is that Nail Harmony doesn’t have a ton of colors to choose from–maybe 10-12? Which isn’t terrible, but I’m use to picking through every color when I get my nails done! The shade I chose is an exact dup of OPI’s Lincoln Park After Dark; it looks great. I will be curious to see how it wears over the coming weeks. Will it really last for two+ weeks? Will it damage my nails? I will report back! The price for this manicure is $30.00 at Gloss.

Edited to add: I have been going back to get new sets of Harmony Gelish nails about every two to two and a half weeks since I wrote this post and I LOVE them. Some people have asked me who I go to at Gloss, and I highly recommend Quinn! I don’t think she is how she spells her name, I will try to get the correct spelling next time I go, but that is how it is pronounced. She is the best–her Gelish manicures come out perfectly and last forever. She is super careful and ocd, which I love. 🙂

UPDATE 5/6/11: I started to notice that my nails were very weak–like scary weak–when the nail tech took off my gel polish. So, I let them grow out on my own, took the gel polish off with a cotton soaked in acetone, and did my own nails for a few weeks using a nail strengthener with protein as a base coat and topcoat. That helped a lot. My nails went back to normal after about three weeks. And now I’m back to regular manicures…

Let me know if you have any questions for me in the comments. And please tell me your own gel lacquer nail experiences too!

67 Comments

On 08.23.10 Tracy Christian said:

How DARE you give up info on Gloss!!!! I live in Los Feliz and when I can’t get an appt at Marie Nails (I even have forced celebrity clients to come in with me so I get my Cal gel nails and eyelash extensions without an appt), Gloss is my next stop. Now just like at Marie Nails, Gloss will be packed!!!! Ugh. Stop giving up state secrets!!!!

I am on my 3rd round of the CND version, Shellac. The first time my polish lasted 10 days before showing signs of wear, but the second time they started to chip sooner. I think this may be due to application error, my manicurist is very distractable and certainly got some of the gel on my skin (which, as you indicated, promotes peeling); I think she may have confused the bottom and top coats too (not hard to do as the bottles appear exactly the same – who thought that was smart?!). I am thinking of trying another system as the CND color spectrum is pretty limited, especially if you are not into frosty colors. Tropix (a vibrant coral color) is pretty much my only fun option.

$30 for removal and application.

On 08.26.10 BRITTANY said:

I am loving the Gelish! I had Shellac twice and it chipped both times. Also, the colors aren’t very nice. I’ve had 3 manicures using the gelish and it has not chipped once. Not to mention Shellaz is out of stock just about everywhere. I got the Bellas vampire by Gelish, which is like a dark purple and I love it!

M, there is a section on the Nail Harmony website that has a salon finder, but I believe when I checked last week it was under construction. I would check there and also just call around to nail salons in your area.

NAIL UPDATE: It’s been over a week now and my nails look PERFECT! I am in love with this stuff. It’s crazy!! And I have been hard on my nails too–done dishes, cleaned, everything. And they are totally perfect, not one chip and the color has not worn off at all. They are shiny and great looking. It’s totally amazing. I imagine I will just wait till next weekend and go back to Gloss and get a new set put on… I will report back next week.

On 09.03.10 cc said:

Need to know helpful hint on gelish polish… why does the polish sometimes wrinkle but then when you apply top coat it seems to look better.

On 09.14.10 Naildoc71 said:

@cc in my experience, if the polish looks wrinkled it is usually applied too heavy or thick. I had to learn how to not use too much pressure or product during application. The darker colors are usually harder to apply because they can look streaky. Hope that helps! I love the Gelish! I am leaning more towards that than the Shellac. The cost/volume is better and the color choices are great!

On 09.18.10 Tia said:

I have tried shellac which lasted me about 7-8 days without showing wear but it become dull as time went on. I am now on a new set of gellish in a light sparkly blue color. I love it so far and it is a lil shinier and more sparkly which I love. I work in dietary and use a lot of bleach and wash my hands a lot as well as do dishes and have had no chipping or any problems with gellish. I am also impressed with the colors! My salon in cleveland, oh has about 35-40! I never paid for manicures because they lasted all of 2 days! This is a miracle product! With a polish change + gelish application the price is $24 and it is 30 with a manicure. 🙂

Tia: sooo glad you like Harmony Gelish nails too! I am going to get my third set today, actually. I am really loving them. And Gloss has new colors too! I am finding that the gel nails last exactly 2 weeks. They just grow out enough by that point that I really need to re-do them, but the only chipping I have ever gotten was one small chip. I think that is totally amazing because with a regular manicure, I would have a chip by day two for sure. I think the key is to go to a really good, experienced manicurist because the process is kind of tricky–especially removal. Anyway, yay for Harmony Gels. 😉 Not sure which color I am going to try this time, I did the pink-y shade last time.

On 09.20.10 Brenda said:

I am a licensed nail tech and live in Atlanta.I can get the gelish polish, but cannot seem to get my hands on the LED UV light. Can any one help me please?

On 09.28.10 Lyndsey said:

Hi, Brenda and other ladies.. im also a licensed nail tech but in NY.. I also am having trouble finding the LED light. I did see something about getting a LED lamp instead of the UV because its safer and healthier and it also takes less time for the gels to cure. I also found a site where I can buy 12 of the gelish colors and recieve and 100 voucher toward the LED lamp however that site doesnt sell the LED lamp.. so im left confused as well.. Im concerned about not bringing the gels into my salon and doing them as a service seeing as though they are so popular now and everyone is asking for them. When gels first came out I jumped the gun and got the Axium OPI gel polish… WHAT A BUST! Its to thick, takes to long to cure, destroys your natural nails, and I spent three hundred plus on the OPI lamp that I think sucks. So basically this is a total do over for me… I also dont get why they say the LED lights are safier and healthier than the UV (but WHY?) and if they are so different then why do some sites sell an LED UV manicure lamp… UGH! feeling dazed and confused lol.. HELP! 🙂

On 09.29.10 Erica Le-Benjamin said:

Lyndsey, I’m assuming you ordered from nailtechsupply.com and received the $100 towards the LED light. They do sell it on their site for $399.95. You can always call them too, they are extremely nice. I hope that helps! I am also in LOVE with Gelish!! I’m a manicurist in Denver and this product is catching on everywhere. Although people ask for Shellac all the time, I’ve found thru research on the web that gelish lasts longer than shellac does. I’ve worn gelish five times on my own nails and each time they’ve lasted for 3 weeks. They could’ve lasted longer except I wanted to change the color 🙂 I’ve also heard that gelish will be coming out with 48 more colors this November!! yay! I can’t wait!

On 10.02.10 Brenda said:

Erica, I just got my gelish in and used it today for the first time. A little disappointing. Can you give me any advice? The two dark colors I used did not seem to cure and the thumbs did not cure at all, just wiped right off. I know it is user error, so any advice you could give me would me much appreciated.

On 10.03.10 Erica Le-Benjamin said:

Brenda, what colors did you use? Are u curing them long enough in the UV lamp? Here are the steps I follow

1. Prep the nails first (filing, buffing) it will last longer if you manicure them first
2. apply bond-aid to all the nails
3. polish the foundation gel and cure for 2 min.
4. Apply the first coat of polish and cure for 2 min (some darker colors can shrink, but you can usually even it out with the second coat.
5. Apply a second coat of color and cure for 2 min.
6. Apply Top It Off gel and cure for three min.
7. Use a lint free wipe (I use a paper towel) and put some of the gel cleanser on the wipe and wipe your nails off to take off the tacky residue. If you don’t have the cleanser just use alcohol

Your nails should be dry and smooth after this. If you have problems with your thumb not curing all the way, make sure when you have your hands in the UV lamp your thumb is getting enough light. If not you can always cure your thumbs separately.

I hope this helps, let me know if you have any other problems!

On 10.04.10 Brenda said:

Thank you Erica! I did all of the above steps. I have the gelish lamp, so do I need to cure them for that long? I do have another lamp, should I try that one to cure for the 2 min? I paid a lot of money for my gelish lamp and hate not to use it. I appreciate your help. Oh, the colors I used were a dark orange and the one that looks like Lincoln Park after dark. I recently figured out that the dark colors do take longer to cure, so maybe that is my issue.

On 10.04.10 Erica Le-Benjamin said:

Brenda, if you have the gelish lamp then the curing time should be alot shorter! At least that’s what they say right? 10 seconds for foundation, 20 seconds for each coat of color and 30 seconds for the top it off. I use a regular UV lamp and I have no issues with curing. The only thing I find that sometimes the thumbs don’t cure all the way just because they’re not really facing the light directly. So I’ve had a few people where we’ve had to cure just the thumbs for longer. I’ve found that you do have to learn how to work with each of the colors. I notice that the flat colors like Bella’s Vampire and Black Shadow tend to shrink at the tips of the nails. So with these colors sometimes I’ll polish one hand and then make sure I redo the tips that are shrinking and just cure that hand while I polish the other one. The second coat usually doesn’t shrink that bad. Maybe you should try your UV lamp and see if that works better for you. If it does hopefully you can return the LED one. I hope this helps!

Hi ladies! I’m a licensed nail tech (10 years) and use Gelish and OPI Axxium Soak-Off Gel Lacquer prodcuts with my no-chip manicures. Valerie, I have to clarify one thing: Axxium refers to 2 types of OPI gels. OPI Axxium (traditional gel) and OPI Axxium Soak-Gel Lacquers. This is important because consumers say “Axxium” but they need to reference the correct name of the product. Brenda & Erica, since this a consumer site, I don’t think it’s best to list step-by-steps for pro products being that there are many DIYers, who are unlicensed and purchasing diverted professional nail products.

Shara: my commenters can talk about anything they want (well, within reason!) on the site. And they are nail techs discussing how the get the best results, I highly doubt my readers are taking notes to do this on their own… And people who ARE going to try to do this on their own, will be able to find this information online anyway. I do appreciate your info on the different types of OPI Axxium products. Thanks!

On 10.10.10 Brenda said:

Erica,
I do use the gelish lamp and have figured it out. The really dark colors do take longer to cure, about i min in the gelish lamp, 1/2 the time of a regular UV lamp.The trick with the darker colors is to apply very thin, not like polish. The first coat will look bad, but the second coat will cover well. The thumbs need to cure separately though. I do all fingers from start to finish and do the thumbs last. They must be flat in the lamp. Have your clients hold the lamp if possible, rolling the thumbs in a bit to get them flat. The LED lamp is the big time saver, and we all know that time is money. I have applied this to about eight or so clients since I got the product in and have done the trouble shooting with your help. 100% success!! Thank you so much. There is a site called nailsupplies.com and is in south Florida. The telephone number is on the site.Wayne is in sales and customer service and is a licensed nail tech and stylist. He is very knowledgeable and loves to share. I found him very helpful.

On 10.13.10 Kirstie said:

Hey we got this in the spa we all love it the only issue we seem to have is sealing the edges. Any help?

On 10.15.10 Brenda said:

WARNING NAIL TECHS: Be careful where you purchase your gelish LED light. It must be from a controlled distributor authorized by Nail Harmony. They do not list it on their website, as it is under construction; you must call California to ask for an controlled distributor. They will not warranty the light even if you register it on the Harmony web site.

FYI… the harmony gelish lamp will NOT cure shellac.

Kirstie…It is difficult to cap the free edge if the nail is too short. It is best to have some free edge for best results.

On 10.21.10 Donna T said:

I’m a licensed nail tech in Ga and we’ve loved the Shellac so far but are disappointed with the lack of color choices. I would like to try Gelish but have a couple of questions. Will our CND lamps work? And how long does it take to soak off? Shellac is off in 10 minutes or less and we don’t want to carry one that takes longer. What colors would you recommend for a conservative clientele? We do mostly french manicures. Do they have one comparable to OPI’s Bubble Bath? How about a fall brown that’s not dark like Lincoln Park? We already have one of those in the Shellac.
Thanks

On 10.25.10 Diane T said:

To Donna T: YES — the CND lamp will work fine! Gelish is formulated to cure in ANY 36-watt or higher lamp, and CND’s is a 45-watt lamp. However, Harmony’s LED lamps are amazing time savers: such as, a 10-30 second cure-times VS standard UV 1 to 2 minute cure time — essentially saving you up to 15 minutes per service! Plus, with LED there’s NO bulb-changing required, and the average cost to change-out a worn bulb is over $100…so Harmony’s is a good deal on all counts. Gelish works great for clients because there are 48 colors, conservative As well as wild, and soon to be 40 more next month. I like it used as an alternative to an acrylic fill, using a clear pink Simply Sand Gelish over the old acrylic that’s been filed-down and prepped…in a month the client’s nails are all long, strong and all-natural, too. Each “fill” then thereafter, can Soak off or file off. It’s gorgeous! I hope this helps. I’m also in LOVE with Gelish! I’m in Beverly Hills and this product is catching on here, too. Although people used to ask for Shellac, I’ve found that Gelish lasts a longer time and stays shinier and doesn’t chip, it’s better than any other. Everyone wants a Gelish mani here (for good reason…)

On 10.26.10 Brenda said:

Donna,
The gelish will cure in your lamp as long as it is 36 watts. It does take longer than the gelish lamp. 1 min for the base and 2 minutes each for color and top coat. The dark colors will take longer, but if applied very thin, you should not have a problem. You can not apply like polish, as it will take forever to cure. The first coat of color, if it is a dark one will look really bad, then the second coat will cover completely. I have found the the light colors do not need extra curing time, except the white for the french, if applied to thick. Soak off time varies. The dark colors seem to take longer than 10 minutes; more like 15 to 20 mins. I am still tweaking that part. Gelish will be coming out with 48 new colors by the end of the year, so the selection keeps getting better. Go to goblondies.com and you will be able to see the colors that are out. Hope this helps you out.

On 11.19.10 LenaN said:

Greetings,

I am still new to Gelish, but can someone please show me step by step how to do French/American Gel?

hi
plz i would like to knew where u sell Gelish harmony on dubai
can u give me the email or number plz

On 12.14.10 Valerie said:

Gloria: I am not sure, maybe call the nail salons in your area and see if they do gels?

On 01.20.11 Misty said:

Ladies, I’m a new Gelish CLIENT (not a nail tech). I got the light purple color put on my nails last weekend & I’m barely able to look at it without feeling nauseous! I didn’t want to make them re-do it at the salon, nor did I have time anyway. I’ve heard you can put regular nail polish over the gel polish but I’m wondering if anyone has tried this yet. I still have a week to go with this color & I can stick it out if I have to but if I can put my own polish over it I’d really prefer to do that than look at this for another week. On the other hand, if I screw it up with the regular polish it could look worse than it does now!

On 01.20.11 Valerie said:

Misty: You can put regular polish over it–I’ve done it.

On 01.23.11 idelle said:

I have had gelish applied twice over the past couple of months. While the results are beautiful and long lasting, my nails broke each time after the gelish manicure. . . and they broke low down in the nail bed. My nails were strong before, never broke and grew fast. My manicurist applied the gelish properly based on what I’ve read here. I’m concerned the gelish is weakening my nails. Can you convince me otherwise? I’m frightened to use gelish in the future. I only use gelish for the long manicure results – and never have used it to help my nails grow.

On 01.24.11 Valerie said:

idelle: I have to agree with you, unfortunately. I think it only helps for long manicure results–not for strengthening nails. I think it probably weakens nails. I keep my nails super short anyway, so it doesn’t matter too much to me, but for someone trying to keep their natural nails long, this might be an issue.

On 01.26.11 idelle said:

Valerie: Thanks! I try to keep my nails short too. But the funny thing about long lasting manicures is that my nails grow long by the time I need a new manicure. The gelish lasts me 3 to 4 weeks and by then my nails are super long and break low in the nail bed! I guess I could get gelish again and then be sure to get a new manicure in two weeks but that would defeat the purpose! lol

On 01.29.11 Valerie said:

idelle: when I get gelish manicures I usually end up cutting my nails before I get them re-done because I hate my nails long. And yeah, they are a little grown out looking (white space in the nail bed) but I don’t think it’s super noticeable to anyone else. Oh and, WOW at it lasting you 4 weeks! I usually get them re-done at about 2 1/2 or 3.

On 01.27.11 Linda said:

Does anyone know where they do Gelish manis in Central Connecticut?

On 02.05.11 shells said:

Linda, Fancy Nails in Bristol CT does Gelish

On 02.06.11 Valerie said:

shells: thanks for your help! And can I just say: Fancy Nail is my fav nail salon name. 🙂

On 02.13.11 Simonne said:

Ladies..use premier nail source website. Their led lights work great for under 75.00

On 02.19.11 Annie said:

My nail tech applied Gelish, selling me on the 2-3 week wear surface. Week 1 it looked great and took daily abuse doing dishes, working around the house, and using my computer 9 hrs a day at work. By week three the color had yellowed, peel started at cuticle area, and generally looked trashy. I soaked this off at home with the discovery of a health issue. My natural nails are ruined for at least 3 months – to grow back and be healthy again. Will never use this gel stuff again – who knows what kind of bacteria and fungus was starting to grow under there. They’re thin and soft now too.

On 02.21.11 julie said:

I had a Gelish mani done yesterday and was immediately worried when the gal painted on the bonding liquid, which was quickly absorbed, as it reminded me of an Opi product I tried last year which wrecked my nails down to the cuticles. It took 6 months for my nails to stop peeling and breaking off. I’m hoping this product doesn’t do the same thing. I will probably paint over the Gelish color until it grows out. I keep my nails short, anyway.

On 02.24.11 Thes said:

Brenda,

I’ve encountered problem making payment online to GoBlondies. The website cannot accept my payment. I’m not sure if it’s because the credit card wasn’t issued in US. But their website says they do ship internationally. Did you encounter this problem before?

On 02.25.11 Lin said:

I had a french gelish done last thursday and and it looked beautiful, until this thursday afternoon. I am a hairdresser and was doing a perm when i felt a tug on the hair, I looked down and the left first finger on the right side of the free edge had peeled. Why did this happen so soon?

On 02.27.11 Valerie said:

Lin: Should NOT have happened so soon. it was probably not applied correctly. :/

On 03.07.11 Marsha said:

Had my first Gelish a few days ago. I’m a surgery nurse, wash my hands alot and beat them up doing spine cases. Well, this is great stuff! My previous experience with gels were negative, the immediately began to lift no matter who applied them. Gelish has not and the application is much thinner and more natural. Now, the question I have is…the salon I went to used regular OPI polish for the color, is this incorrect? I see that OPI has a special polish but mine was just the generic and they look great, any feedback would be helpful. I was going to go with shellac but this is wonderful….

On 03.09.11 Valerie said:

Marsha: the OPI gels have a whole system of polishes and do not use regular OPI polish for the color, so not sure why your manicurist would have used regular.

On 03.08.11 Karla said:

got my first gelish manicure 12 days ago and i absolutely love it! i got bella’s vapire – and not ONE chip. definite growth line, but whatta ya gonna do, right? i’m going for a mani/pedi before we head out on our family vacation next week and am so looking forward to it!

On 03.09.11 Valerie said:

Karla: It’s very addictive because you can walk out with dry nails & it lasts, but it is a good idea to give your nails a break every month or so, per my manicurist!

On 03.14.11 Marsha said:

Valerie, me either, it’s one week and guess what, my nails ar chipping and lifting, probably the generic OPI. Guess I need to find another salon. Anyone know of one near San Dimas, Ca.?

On 03.24.11 Valerie said:

Marsha: That is weird–too soon to be chipping! I would try somewhere else. Maybe search on Yelp for gel nail places? Also, I just have to remind people again to take BREAKS with the gel nails–like every few times because this stuff will destroy your nails if you do it too many times in a row!!

Hi,
Thank you everyone for all of the information. I think I can now make a clear decision on gelish verses my IBD gel system. The light is a bit spendy and I have 2 lights. One for each hand. I would like to know where to purchase the light for a bit less since I want two.
Thank you again

On 03.28.11 Joann said:

Does any one know where i can purchase harmony, i am a licensed hair dresser in mass and cant find anywhere

On 04.08.11 NancyG said:

I think Marsha brings up an important point about these manicure systems – the fact that they are, in fact, systems and using elements from other brands can compromise the service. While these services all may be grouped under the generic term”gel,” there are many distinctions, particularly between and among the traditional gels, the soak off gels and the gel polishes. But in order to be a Shellac manicure, it has to use the Shellac base coat, color and top cot. Same with Gelish, foundation, color, top coat. Because some products have been in scarce supply, especially in the Shellac line, some people started mixing lines, even combining traditional gels with gel polishes or regular nail polish. It often works, but when it fails, the brand takes the rap for something not its fault. I have found “Gelish” manicures done using regular polish (which didn’t last long) and “Shellac” manis done with Gelish colors (which works great, but is that really a Shellac mani?) As consumers, we need to be informed and assertive about understanding what is being used.

On 04.16.11 Mimi said:

I bought my Gelish nail supplies and UV lamp for 2 hands on Amazon. They are awesome! My only question – it takes so long to soak them off. Amy tips on speeding up the process? I’m not a nail technichian. I just bought the stuff at amazon to safe $ as I was enjoying the Gelish manicures, which ended up costing a lot. So now I can save myself $. Just need a quicker way to soak them off.

I had Gelish put on yesterday for the first time. It really burned on each nail with each coat. The nail tech said she could stop the burning at the end by wiping them w/ alcohol. They did stop burning after they were fully cured, but I don’t think I’ll ever get them again. The burning is NOT a good sign to me. I have a feeling that my nails will have been harmed once the Gelish is taken off.

On 05.06.11 Valerie said:

Marcia: Weird! I never had my nails burn when getting Gelish. Not sure what that is about but it does not seem good. But I can say that while I loved the ease of having Gel nails, when I took them off, my nails were is terrible shape! It took a while to bring them back–I did my own nails and used strengthener as base and top coat–and now they are fine again. I don’t think I will be going back to gels. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Bummer.

On 05.19.11 irishan said:

I have been using Shellac for 3 months and I have just purchased Gelish, but have not tried it yet. In regards to it weakening the nails, I did experience that with the first round of Shellac. However, after some research, I saw that Shellac recommends using a little cuticle/nail oil every day to nourish the nails and cuticle beds. I started doing this, and it worked like a charm! As for the burning…perhaps you are allergic! As with pretty much any beauty product, if it burns, STOP!

On 06.12.11 Jenny H. Nguyen said:

Can we add regular nail polish thinner to the Gelish?

On 06.27.11 Shirl said:

Did anyone fine a Harmoney gell that compares to the shade of OPI Bubble Bath?

On 08.16.11 Natalie said:

Im a nail tech and im having trouble with the Gelish peeling, im not sure if i’m doing the application wrong but my clients are saying they’re only lasting 2-3 days. But I can get mine to last until I get sick of the color. Any tips?

On 08.20.11 Tammy said:

I purchased the Harmony Gelish Soak Off Polish system. I did it at home for the first time a week ago. It was easy and turned out great! They have not chipped nor has the shine gone away.
The only negative that I can see at this point is that you have to keep that same color on. Or can you apply another color over it?
Also, do you have to remove them each time? Or can a fill be done. If a fill can be done, is there a place I can get the directions on how to do it? I cannot seem to find any.
Thank you!

On 12.07.11 claudia,, said:

hola necesito saber donde comprar el producto gelish en manhattan

Espero me puedan ayudar

Claudia

On 02.04.12 Kristal said:

I am a new nail tech and have been working with both the axxium and gelish polishes. I was trained to used axxium in school but decided to try gelish as well. I prefer the gelish by far, both becuz it is easier to apply and becuz it lasts longer. Anyway I experimented with doing fills and have had great success. Just scuff off the top coat and repeat the process. I only do it once. The next time we soak off and start new but only becuz it gets so think. My question is can it be applied over a new strenthener? I have a lot of clients who are switching from wearing acrylics or gels whose nails are very thin. Gel polish is thicker but not always thick enough. Has anyone tried it?

Im a nail technician and I read here a lot of problems. Gelish is good if applied to the natural nail. It is intended for short nails and not for someone wishing to grow their nails long or for people with long nails. While using this product you should cream your cuticle area 2x each day because you have a layer on top of your nails and the only way you can nurish your natural nail is by using a good quality nail oil which can soak into your cuticles. Acentone for removal dries out your nail and skin, if you are doing this on averagen every three weeks. I use soak off remover from harmony gelish, because this contains moisturising ingredients. If you want to apply a new gelish colour then you can file off the top layer of the old colour and reaaply gelish. You can only do this if you want the same colour or a darker colour. If you want a lighter colour then you need to remove the gelish completley and start again.
if gelish is peeling then there is something wrong in the nail preperation, push back cuticles, buff, cleasne, bond, foundation, 2x colour and top off, and nail oil. Or the customers could have hormonal problems, or be taking medicine which can sometimes cause gel to come off

On 05.09.12 Jennifer said:

What color did you get that was an exact dup for “Lincoln Park Ater Dark?”

I love Gelish. I find it lasts the longest out of all the gels. I broke down and bought my own UV lamp and polishes online and do it myself. It takes a little longer but it saves me a ton bc I do both mani & pedi.